Joyner Therapy Services officially welcomed to Carmi

A new business was officially welcomed to Carmi Monday, Feb. 11 as members of the Chamber of Commerce gathered at Joyner Therapy Services for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The facility, which opened two months ago, is now fully operational at the April Avenue location and becomes the fourth facility in the family of clinics for Brian and Lana Joyner.

A new business was officially welcomed to Carmi Monday, Feb. 11 as members of the Chamber of Commerce gathered at Joyner Therapy Services for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The facility, which opened two months ago, is now fully operational at the April Avenue location and becomes the fourth facility in the family of clinics for Brian and Lana Joyner.

"We felt the need for a therapy clinic in this area," said Brian, who is a native of Cave-In-Rock. "We have a lot of services to offer, including industrial medicine, which is new to the area. It is a program to help employers reduce workmen's compensation claims and provides help in both pre and post testing for new hires."

Brian went on to talk about some of the preventative measures companies can take to lower the costs of workplace injuries and issues. Joyner Therapy Services (JTS) also offers wellness programs to teach employees how to deal with issues related to health at the workplace. JTS can also go in and do site evaluations at a location. They are able to look at the work environment and help reduce the high impact areas, whether employees are experiencing carpal tunnel or shoulder pain. Sometimes, a work site modification can be done to prevent or reduce issues such as these.

"We are excited to be in Carmi," said Lana. "People here have been extremely welcoming and we already feel part of the community, and we appreciate that."

Lana, who handles the administrative needs of JTS, noted they are leasing the building from Pete DiMaggio and have done a lot of work on the interior of the office space, giving it a fresh new look to better suit the needs of their office staff and clients at the Carmi facility.

"One thing that brought us to White County is to fill the gap for people," said Lana. "We see a lot of geriatric patients. Sometimes, it's hard for them to drive out of town for therapy and they are on a fixed budget. By offering these services, they can stay right in town to get the care and services they need."

The Joyners brought in a couple of therapists that had been working with their company at other locations. They have also hired a couple of local people to fulfill some of the duties in the office.

Dr. Jessica Hale-Cook is the director of the new JTC clinic. A native of Carmi, she earned her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Evansville. Cook had previously worked at the JTS location in Harrisburg. In addition to physical therapy, Cook also has training in incontinence and has expertise with women's health issues.

Cook is joined by occupational therapist Angela Ogelsby, who also transfers to the Carmi clinic from Marion and Harrisburg. Others working in the Carmi office include Peggy Pretzsch, patient liaison, Susan Ellison, business development and Emily Frost, massage therapist.

Page 2 of 2 - One does not have to be a physical therapy patient to take advantage of the massage therapy at JTS. Massage therapy is open to the public and can be scheduled for appointment by calling the office. Frost offers massages beginning with 30-minute sessions on up and can provide different types of pressure, from deep tissue to lighter styles.

In addition to the full-time staff at the Carmi location, Brian, who also has a doctorate in physical therapy, will be in and out of the office as needed to assist with all patient needs. He entered college with the intent to pursue a medical field. He was quickly drawn into physical therapy and got his degree from the University of Evansville before completing his doctorate at University of St. Augustine in Florida. He and his wife, Lana, have an eight-year-old son, Braxton.

After serving as a director at Harrisburg Medical Center for nearly 14 years, Brian decided to break out on his own and opened his first clinic in Marion in 2004. A clinic in Golconda soon followed and a third location was added in Harrisburg.

In addition to the work at the four clinics, JTS provides contractual services to several nursing home facilities in the region as well as Hardin County Hospital in Rosiclare. They also work with Egyptian Health Department for Home Health therapy. In all, JTS now employs 60 people over four locations.

"I feel very fortunate to have the best staff," said Brian. "They are some of the most compassionate people you'll ever meet. We wouldn't have grown like we have without them."

In addition to physical therapy, JTS offers occupational therapy, speech therapy, massage therapy, Home Health therapy and one of the latest trends in therapy, Astym. Astym is the therapy approach to new injuries and chronic, nagging conditions and promotes proper healing in the tissue. The procedure treats muscle and tendon injuries with specific strokes and has a high percentage of satisfaction for recovery. All staff members at the Carmi clinic are fully certified with Astym treatments.

"I believe that is what sets us apart," said Brian. "We provide hands on techniques that restores normal functions to allow a patient to regain a normal lifestyle."

Joyner Therapy Services is open five days a week from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about the clinic and services provided, call 382-2771 or go to their Website at joynertherapyservices.com.